(The Sandpiper is now closed.)

I
had moved back to Florida in 1979 and within a short time met Michael
and Gino. I lived around the corner from a gay restaurant and bar called
the Sandpiper which had a unique bar--it was U-shaped and the complete
top, all the way around, was an aquarium! The more you drank the more
fish there seemed to be swimming under your glass.

By Feb. 29, 1980, my 11th (44th) birthday--I invited about a
dozen people I had met, since I moved down, to dinner and an open bar.
Strangely enough I can't find any pictures from that evening though I
know I have some. A blast
was had for all, plus a few picked up between the restaurant part and
going to the bar, for 7 hours--dinner, drinks and other 'things'.

One
thing I must add is that though I have a birthday only once every 4
years when it does come around I celebrate for a week! As an example in
1984 I had friends like Buddy, more about him in a minute, come in from
New York City and John Connolly from St. Louis and I showed them the
town.

(At Bobby Rubino's which is now closed)


On Feb.
28, 1984--as part of my 12th (48th) birthday--my friend Michael threw a surprise
party for me which I planned--I gave him the list of people to invite (Tacky? Who
cared!)--on his pool barbecue patio in a beautiful home, while on the actual Leap Year Day I took all the people I worked with at Wag's, my visitors and a couple of other guests to Bobby Rubino's for a baby back rib dinner. After the dinner Albyn,
my oldest friend and mentor, who lost his lover of over 50 years, John,
Buddy and I hit 7 bars, of which only one remains, at a different
location, in business today.

Notes
from my diary regarding Michael's party---"Plenty of food--too much--as
expected some people who said they were coming didn't (people were rude
back in 1984, too LOL)--Bill did come---Bob took a load of
pictures--Bill gave me a 'La Cage" poster, from our New York trip, that
he had framed and that I still have, though a bit faded--had a lot of
flower arrangements and Michael had decorated his patio with balloons
that fell into the pool almost as soon as the party started--there were 4
different cakes, lots of sweets and booze!"

(That's Bill in the second picture down, Michael in the middle in the top picture on the right and Buddy on the right in the lower picture.)

(Can never have too much cake!)

(Top
picture from left to right: Emir, Michael, Bill middle pictures from
left to right Robert, Buddy, Ray, Michael and the bottom picture ?, me
and Buddy.)

I had met Buddy the year before through Bob Kingsbury when we were in New York. Buddy was there as part of the celebration of "A Chorus Line"
becoming the longest running show on Broadway as he had played Zach,
the director, in a few productions. Buddy gave Bob and me his house
seats for the performance and it is the most exciting time I have ever
spent in the theatre!

Before John returned to St. Louis and Buddy flew off to St. Thomas we went to dinner at La Vielle Maison, which has closed, in Boca Raton--those were the days when I still had money! LOL

As I am typing and posting these series I am being flooded with a lot of memories of joy but also of sadness. Buddy, John and Michael
died of AIDS while Ray and Vinnie died from heart attacks. Emir
'disappeared' and I haven't seen any of the Wag's crowd for many years but unlike many people I do have memories.

(Bill, Chuck, Tommy and I went to the first Saturday matinee of the original production in 1983.)